Where's the reptiles

[Hobo]

Hi guys. Iv noticed in the past few years the number of reptiles I see in the bush in Central Vic has plummeted.
I first noticed the decline immediately after the Black Summer fires. Places I used to often see little dragon lizards regularly suddenly there were none, shingle backs the numbers dropped significantly, skinks suddenly seeing none where they were once common. Even snakes in many areas I saw them all the time, none. I thought the state being blanketed in smoke drove them underground or something and expected them to be out the next season. But 3 seasons or whatever it is since then its stayed the same. Its in so many places, Homebush near Avoca, Tarnagulla, Dunolly, Maryborough, Daisy Hill, Talbot. The biggest shock has been Kara Kara. I used to love going there as I'd see so many and like everywhere take my phone or pocket digital camera to take pictures of the wildlife. I prospected there last year and went back around a dozen times over a few month period easy walking all over the place. I saw zero reptiles and no it wasn't winter. Yeah you see Roos and Wallabies and birds but reptiles are like they have vanished. I guess being I have always loved taking pictures of them, the reptiles, I notice. But have others noticed this too? Its definitely happened.

 

[Dave's Office]

I'm no expert but I would think most reptiles would perish if they were caught in an intense bushfire, and it would take a long time for those areas to be re-inhabited by others from overflow of unaffected well populated areas.

 

[David-Karratha]

I guess many, if not most reptiles, live in the low scrub, brush and deadfall’s rather than in burrows. If there’s a fast moving fire, maybe there’s a reasonable survival rate, but when the fires are intense because they’re hot & slow moving, or the local fuel load is excessive, I rather suspect it kills most slow moving critters.
Im not familiar with the areas you mention, but what’s perhaps slowing or stopping repopulation is that many bush areas are now isolated into smaller localised areas.
When bush land is isolated by tracts of housing, roads and other barriers, the smaller creatures can’t really spread from one area to another like they would normally. Birds & Roos etc can travel relatively easily, however reptiles seem like they’d struggle far more.

 

[Hobo]

Hi guys I reckon all thats right but these are all areas where there were no fires at all.
We got blanketed in smoke as did all those areas but no, they were not fire affected at all. Kara Kara hasn't had a fire in my living memory yet it is has become a virtual reptile ghost town as have other places that have not had a bushfire or controlled burn in ages. Yet before the time frame I mentioned I saw them everywhere. I am on a UK forum of another interest, non detecting, and always took pictures of our reptiles to show them as there are a few there that keep reptiles as a hobby. Iv had a few ask "hey we miss your pictures you stopped taking them?" Nope, there's nothing to take!
Was out today, just saw birds and bugs. I saw this huge, I think Robber Fly but may be wrong, and just as I got a focus lock the mongrel took off, just got it flying out of frame. They sound like a drone coming at you they're so big.

 

[Nightjar]

This fella looked hungry when he wandered into my camp, he agreed to stay for breakfast and hogged the newspaper.

 

[Sandbagger]

I've noticed the same in Canberra and surrounds, since the fires. I work in the bush, spend a lot of my time near water sources, valleys, grasslands, wooded land and mountains. Nada. None. I actively look for them too as they have always been a fav of mine. I got to know many of their haunts and even got to know families of them by scale recognition.

All gone.